This invention relates in general to slings for carrying rifles, and relates in particular to an accessory sling and pouch for installing on a carbine without altering the gun.
The use of a sling as an aid for carrying firearms such as rifles or the like is old and well known. Rifle slings generally comprise a strap attached to the front and the rear of the rifle stock by means of swivel attachments or the like, allowing the ends of the sling to turn relative to the rifle. The sling is usually equipped with a budkle or similar arrangement permitting the overall length of the sling strap to be adjusted, so as to accommodate the build and personal preference of the individual carrying a sling rifle.
Some rifles come factory-equipped with swivels or other attachments permitting a sling to be easily installed. One example is the well-known U.S. military carbine caliber .30 M1, popularly known as the M1 carbine. The M1 carbine is supplied with a front swivel attached near the front end of the stock, and a conventional sling can easily be attached to the front swivel. The back end of the sling is looped around the conventional oiler which fits in a vertical cutout in the stock of the M1 carbine, forward of the buttplate. Thus, a sling is quickly and easily attached to existing fittings on a rifle such as the M1 carbine.
Installing a rifle sling presents problems, however, where the rifle lacks swivels or other fittings for connecting the sling. Conventionally, the necessary swivels are added by drilling mounting holes in the stock of the gun. Drilling the stock to attach the swivel fittings must be carefully done to insure proper alignment and to avoid splitting the wooden stock, and this task is best performed by a competent gunsmith. This work is expensive, and the added swivel attachments may not later be removed without leaving remaining holes which disfigure the stock. Alternatively, the front swivel may be clamped to the barrel immediately in front of the stock. Barrel clamps generally present an awkward and unpleasing appearance, and may also damage the surface finish of the barrel.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an improved sling for attachment to firearms.
It is another object of the present invention to provide an accessory sling which is easily attachable to a rifle such as a carbine or the like, without altering the rifle.
It is still another object of the present invention to provide an improved sling which incorporates a pouch for carrying spare ammunition or other articles.